NASA’s ultra-clean spacecraft assembly rooms are designed to be virtually sterile, yet resilient microbes manage to survive even in these extreme environments.
Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and teams from India and Saudi Arabia have discovered 26 new bacterial species thriving in cleanrooms used for spacecraft assembly. These bacteria have genetic traits that help them survive in extreme environments, similar to conditions in space. The findings emphasize the need for strict contamination control to prevent unintended microbial transfer during space missions.
Professor Alexandre Rosado of KAUST, a contributor to NASA’s planetary protection research, explained that the study aimed to assess the risk of extremophiles hitching a ride on space missions and determine which microbes might survive in space. Understanding these survival mechanisms is crucial to preventing unintended microbial contamination on other planets.
Scientists examined microorganisms in NASA’s cleanrooms and discovered many new bacterial species with genes that help them resist radiation and decontamination. These genetic traits, linked to DNA repair, detoxification, and metabolism, make the microbes highly adaptable.
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Beyond planetary protection concerns, these discoveries could inspire biotechnological food preservation and medical advances.
Junia Schultz, a KAUST postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study, emphasized the potential applications of these microbes. Since space travel exposes organisms to extreme conditions, studying their resilience could help develop new medical and industrial solutions.
Additionally, this research helps NASA prepare for bacterial encounters in space missions and refine strategies to limit microbial contamination in spacecraft assembly areas.
Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran, a retired Senior Research Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a study lead author, said, “KAUST’s collaboration with NASA represents a groundbreaking alliance driving the frontiers of space science and astrobiology. Together, we are unraveling the mysteries of microbes that withstand the extreme conditions of space —organisms with the potential to revolutionize the life sciences, bioengineering, and interplanetary exploration.”
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“This partnership not only supports Saudi Arabia’s ambitious vision through the Saudi Space Agency but also reinforces KAUST’s emergence as a global leader in microbial and space biology research.”
Journal Reference:
- Schultz, J., Jamil, T., Sengupta, P. et al. Genomic insights into novel extremotolerant bacteria isolated from the NASA Phoenix mission spacecraft assembly cleanrooms. Microbiome 13, 117 (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s40168-025-02082-1
